1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to room conditioners and, more particularly, to ceiling mounted heaters embodied with a ceiling fan for injecting heated air into the airflow generated by the ceiling fan to uniformly maintain a room at a constant comfortable temperature.
2. Description of Related Art
In present forced air heating systems, whether in an office environment or in a residence, a heating element is energized by burning gas, burning coal or electricity. A blower is employed for blowing air across the heating element to force the heated air into a duct system. Entry of the heated air into the duct system generally requires a change in direction of the blown heated air, which change or direction creates resistance to airflow. To channel the heated air through multiple changes of direction within the duct system until it is finally exhausted into respective rooms creates further resistance to the airflow. Louvers, whether fixed or movable, generally cover the duct system outlets in each room. Such louvers further alter the direction of airflow and create resistance to the airflow. The collective sum of resistances to airflow presented by a conventional forced air system requires a blower of significant power to ultimately provide a reasonable flow of air into each room through a louvered outlet.
The louvered outlets may be close to the floor, close to the ceiling or anywhere in between depending upon various construction requirements and other impediments. The outflow of heated air through an outlet close to the floor will create adjacent hot spots for an occupant that renders seating close to the louvered outlet uncomfortable. Heated airflow through a louvered outlet close to the ceiling tends to restrict disbursement of the heated air throughout the room as heated air rises and tends to remain in proximity with the ceiling; thus, there may exists cold spots in parts of the room close to the floor. Finally, certain parts of a room be subjected to a downward blast of hot air that is uncomfortable and limits furniture arrangement to prevent a person from being subjected to such a blast.
Conventional duct work is generally of galvanized sheet material which is an excellent thermal conductor. The duct work will therefore tend to become heated and radiate heat into the adjacent attic or walls. Such radiated heat is lost to the occupants of a residence or office and the heater must have an output of sufficient BTU's (British thermal units) to compensate for these heat losses and yet provide sufficient heat to the rooms of interest.
The change in temperature of the duct work may result in condensation developing on the surface of the duct work and adjacent the louvers at the outlets. Such condensation may flow and seep into the material of the walls of a room and cause discoloration.
If certain rooms or offices are unoccupied, it is bothersome to prevent the heating thereof as the respective louvers must be closed and thereafter reopened. Such closing and reopening is generally considered too bothersome to be done unless the respective room is to be closed for a significant period of time. Thus, rooms which are not occupied will remain heated to the detriment of unnecessary energy usage and expense.
It therefore becomes evident that presently widely used forced air heating systems require large capacity heaters to overcome the thermal losses incurred during delivery of the heated air to each room. Large capacity blowers are required to overcome the flow restrictions presented by the duct system and outlet louvers. The energy consumption resulting from such heaters and blowers without any benefit to the occupants of a residence or office is significant and expensive. Blasts of hot air and poor mixing of the heated air with the ambient air in the space to be heated creates discomfort to the occupants.